Germany (German:Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [bndsepublik

dtlant] ( listen)),[7] is a parliamentary republic in western-central Europe. It consistsof 16 constituent states, which retain limited sovereignty, and covers an area of 357,021square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) with a largely temperate seasonal climate.Itscapital and largest city is Berlin. Germany is a major economic and political power andtraditionally a leader in many cultural, theoretical and technical fields.With 80.7 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state inthe European Union. After the United States, it is also the second most popular migrationdestination in the world.[8] Germany has the world'sfourth-largest economy by nominalGDP and the fifth-largest by PPP. As a global leader in several industrial and technologicalsectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter and third-largest importer of goods. It isadeveloped country with a very high standard of living, featuring comprehensive socialsecurity that includes the world's oldest universal health care system. Known for itsrich cultural and political history, Germany has been the home of manyinfluential philosophers, artists, musicians, cineasts, entrepreneurs, scientists andinventors. Germany was a founding member of the European Communities in 1957, whichbecame the European Union in 1993. It is part of the Schengen Area, and has been amember of the Eurozone since 1999. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO,the G8, the G20, the OECD and the Council of Europe.Various Germanic tribes have occupied what is now northern Germany and southernScandinavia since classical antiquity. A region named Germania was documented bythe Romans before AD 100. During the Migration Periodthat coincided with the decline ofthe Roman Empire, the Germanic tribes expanded southward and established kingdomsthroughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed acentral part of the Holy Roman Empire.[9] During the 16th century, northern Germanregions became the centre of theProtestant Reformation. The rise of Pan-Germanism insidethe German Confederation, which had been occupied by France during the NapoleonicWars, resulted in the unification of most of the German states in 1871 into thePrussiandominated German Empire. As a result of the military defeat in World War I, andthe German Revolution of 19181919, the Empire was replaced by theparliamentary Weimar Republic. The establishment of the Third Reich, or Nazi Regime, in1933 eventually led to World War II and the Holocaust. In 1945, the remnants of the Naziregime surrendered to the Allied Powers. Over the next few years, Germany lost more of itsterritory and was divided by the victors into Allied occupation zones, and evolved into twostates, East Germany and West Germany. On 3 October 1990, the country was reunified,regaining full sovereignty about six months later.